Assembly Bill 352 would increase the annual gross-sales cap for Nevada cottage food operations from $35,000 to $100,000 and move licensing oversight to the State Department of Agriculture, Assemblymember Nathal Anderson told the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services on May 20, 2025.

"AB 352 is proposing to increase that gross to a hundred thousand," Assemblymember Nathal Anderson said, describing the bill as an effort to "streamline and help our cottage food operations and the cottage food industry." Anderson said the proposal would also allow online and mail-order sales and align cottage food rules with recent changes to cosmetic regulations.

Presenters and supporters said the change is intended to make it easier for small, home-based entrepreneurs — including women, rural families and others with limited startup capital — to grow microbusinesses. Ellen Hamlet of the Institute for Justice testified in support, calling cottage-food sales a "cost effective way for entrepreneurs with big dreams but little capital to get started." Shane Piccinini of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and Brian Wachter (testifying as senior vice president of the Bridal Association of Nevada) also spoke in support.

Provisions described in committee: Anderson said craft food operations, separately regulated by the Department of Agriculture, are currently allowed to prepare acidified foods (for example, canned or pickled goods with pH 4.6 or less), while cottage food operations are licensed by local health authorities. She told the committee that regulatory adoption at the State Department of Agriculture could take about six months to implement. Anderson also agreed to a conceptual amendment to allow an EIN or business identification in place of a Social Security number for cosmetic-operation licensure paperwork.

The bill drew no recorded opposition in the hearing; three written and in-person supporters testified. Committee members asked clarifying questions about the meaning of "gross sales" (Anderson defined it as total revenue before deductions) and about the policy rationale for the $100,000 cap (Anderson said the figure was chosen as a middle ground after reviewing other states and to align with federal reporting thresholds used in related regulation changes).

Why it matters: Raising the sales cap and consolidating oversight to a single state agency could expand opportunities for home-based food entrepreneurs and change how local health authorities and the department interact with small-scale producers. The bill also touches public-health distinctions between non-acidified cottage foods and acidified craft foods.

Next steps: AB 352 was presented, received public support testimony, and the sponsor agreed to provide a written conceptual amendment regarding business identification documentation; no committee vote appears in the transcript.